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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27277117">Port or Starboard?</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aqua_Regia77/pseuds/Aqua_Regia77'>Aqua_Regia77</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Women's Soccer RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:14:17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,487</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27277117</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aqua_Regia77/pseuds/Aqua_Regia77</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Christen transfers from Stanford to UNC her Junior year for a multitude of reasons. Now that she is at the best soccer program in the country, she is ready to focus on her future and forget about her past. But a very attractive, very accomplished member of the Women's Crew team is destined to ruin all of her plans.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tobin Heath/Christen Press</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>49</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>228</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A Southern Slice of Heaven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey y'all! This is my first fic ever, and I am pretty nervous about it. I am a huge fan of all things WoSo, but I also love the Olympics! This is a project that I am using to help manage my stress and anxiety during this global pandemic. I have a general idea of where this is going to go, but for now, I hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Christen had been in North Carolina for a week, and she could already tell that her hair would never adjust to the humidity. The state was so much different than the Californian coast that she was used to. She starts to make a mental list of all of the reasons she felt the need to completely upend her life in California and trapeze across the country to a new team, at a new school, in a new state. </p><p> </p><ul>
<li>UNC has the best women’s soccer program in the country, no doubt.</li>
</ul><ul>
<li>Kelley, the only person you have known since you were in diapers and your best friend, has been begging you to come to UNC ever since she got her offer letter senior year of high school.</li>
</ul><ul>
<li>You’ve spent 20 years in California. It’s time to experience something new.</li>
<li>You’re running away from having to face the inevitable truth of who you really are.</li>
</ul><p>Christen scrunches up her face at that last point. <em> Where the fuck did that come from? Better bury it back down before it wrecks havoc. </em>She puts it in her “mind palace” and throws away the key. A “Pandora’s Box”, never to be opened until she is in therapy in 10 years, trying to figure out why her life has panned out the way it has.</p><p>She’s so deep in thought, that she doesn’t even realize that she is pulling up to the big, white house that has already become her second home in Chapel Hill. The girls on the team called it The Gaggle, affectionately named for the gaggle of upperclassmen lesbians that all inhabited the house. It was a 6 bedroom house with 3 full size baths and 2 half baths that sat right on the outskirts of campus. The house was split into two wings, with 3 girls living on each side. The girls moved in their Sophomore year, after the entire house had become available when the previous tenants all graduated. The Gaggle all happened to be suitemates Freshman year, and had bonded over all things sports and queer culture. Stuffing 6 athletes in a small confined space was bound to stir up some trouble, and the crew was more than stoked when Kelley had approached them with “the best party house on campus”. They were all sold immediately. </p><p>The Gaggle consisted of all athletes, 5 soccer players and 1 rower. “The Rower”, as Kelley caller her, had been the “odd woman out” in their suite, after their original sixth suitemate decided to take a scholarship at another school at the last minute. The Rower (or Tobin, as she had reminded Kelley to call her a million times before) moved in, and the rest was history. But Tobin wasn’t just any rower. She was hyped up to be the best collegiate rower to ever grace the sport, and the potential youngest member to travel to the Olympics with the US Women’s Crew team the next summer. </p><p>Tobin spent the majority of her first year of college in training, class, recovery and study hall, but she made sure to make an effort to actually experience and enjoy college. Therefore, any social time she allowed herself went to her suitemates. By the end of the year, she had basically become an honorary member of the soccer team, and was an integral part of The Gaggle. Oh, and she went on to win that gold medal in the Olympics. But she didn’t like to talk about that. </p><p>Christen has heard so much about Tobin from Kelley and the other housemates, but she has yet to meet the girl. She’s starting to wonder if she was just a myth, or part of a practical joke that the upperclassmen would play on all new coming players and underclassmen. </p><p>All thoughts in her head are completely replaced when she walks into the house. All she can think about is the insanely loud hip-hop music blaring from Kelley’s room. They sound proofed the house to the outside, so it was always a surprise to Christen when she walked in and it sounded like a downtown club. </p><p>Christen walks into Kelley’s room and stops in the doorway. Kelley is in a pair of short jean shorts and a sports bra with her back to Christen. She’s got her hair brush in one hand, and she is currently in the middle of murdering a Drake song...and not in a good way. Christen slaps her hand over her own mouth, trying not to give away her position. She goes to pull her phone out of her back pocket to take a video of Kelley. At that exact moment, Kelley turns around, sees Christen, and screams <em> bloody </em>murder.</p><p>“Fucking hell, Chris! Are you trying to get stabbed?! I thought you were a ghost. I could have killed you!”</p><p>Christen is now doubled over, laughing even harder at Kelley’s ass-backwards logic of killing a ghost by molly whopping it with a hairbrush. Kelley reaches over and turns off her Bluetooth speaker. The sound of Drake is replaced by Christen’s melodic laughter.</p><p>“Kelley, I texted you like 20 minutes ago and said I was on my way. You literally said to “come on in” when I got here. Well….I’m here! And I’m starving. So please put on a shirt and let’s go.”</p><p>“What, Pressy? You don’t think these Carolina girls want to see my sexy body.”</p><p>“Kelley, please. I <em> just </em>stopped laughing. Don’t make me start again.”</p><p>Kelley scowls at Christen, but puts on a UNC Soccer T-shirt and grabs her keys off her desk.</p><p>“Well, what are you waiting for Pressy. Let’s get some grub," Kelley says. She grabs Christen’s face with both hands and plants a sloppy, wet kiss on her cheek.</p><p>Christen just chuckles and follows Kelley out of the house to her car.</p><p>----------</p><p>As much as she hated the humidity, Christen had to admit that Chapel Hill was the most beautiful place in the world. “Welcome to a southern slice of heaven,” Kelley said with her arms open wide when she first introduced Christen to campus. At the time, Christen rolled her eyes as Kelley went on a soliloquy about how UNC was superior to Stanford in every way. Now, as they drove through campus with all of the windows of Kelley’s 4-Runner down and that same Drake song billowing out into the muggy summer air, she has to agree that Chapel Hill in the summer has a beauty that cannot be rivaled. The dogwoods were in full bloom, the hydrangeas were nice and plump, and that air always had this permanent, but distinct feeling. Christen called it...<em> opportunity. </em></p><p>They pull up to a parking lot near their destination, IP3. It was one of the best places on Franklin Street for reasonably priced, but exceptionally delicious pizza. Christen frowned at the idea of eating so unhealthy, but Kelley reminded her that they were technically still in pre-season, and should enjoy it before they are forced to eat brown rice, roasted chicken and brussel sprouts for the next two semesters. They go inside and go straight to the counter to order. Christen goes with a house salad with grilled chicken and balsamic vinaigrette. Even if they are still in pre-season, she’s brand new to the team, and wants to try to stay as fit as possible so that she can earn a starting position. Kelley opts for the lunch special: two gigantic slices of pepperoni pizza, a side salad, and a sweet tea. Honestly, she had ordered a beer, but changed it to a sweet tea after Christen, not so discreetly, punched Kelley in the side. </p><p>“I swear on my life Chris, sweet tea is the nectar of the gods.”</p><p>“Ugh, Kelley. I really don’t know how you drink that stuff. It is <em> literally </em>liquid diabetes.”</p><p>“Oh Pressy, don’t worry. We will make a southern girl out of you in no time.” Kelley winks at Christen and proceeds to take an uncomfortably large swig from her cup.</p><p>They sit and wait for their food to come out. Christen is still stuck in her head, but she notices that Kelley doesn’t even seem to notice that Christen is in a world of her own. Kelley keeps looking down at her phone with a smirk on her face. She’s been texting back and forth with a cute brunette, with the “prettiest blue eyes that she's ever seen” that she met at a bar a couple of weekends back. Kelley tried to play off that she wasn’t all that interested, but Christen knew better. She had known Kelley her whole life, and there were just certain things they couldn’t lie to each other about. Girls were one of them. </p><p>“Ugh, finally! I thought I was going to disappear!” Kelley exclaims happily as their food is placed in front of them. </p><p>Christen rolls her eyes at how dramatic Kelley is, but smiles at the waiter and thanks him. “Are you excited for the party tomorrow night?” Kelley asks Christen, right after taking an inhuman sized bite of pizza. </p><p>“Yeah, I’m really excited to meet some more people besides just our teammates.”</p><p>“The people back on campus right now are mostly athletes, so it will be a jock party for sure. But you’ll get to meet to meet the guys from the soccer team and the lacrosse girls. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet a cute basketball player to help you get your mind off of what's-her-nuts.”</p><p>Christen freezes momentarily. They had a hard rule where they did NOT talk about certain items and people from their past. Kelley was toeing a line, and Christen could tell that she was well aware of that fact. </p><p>“Maybe, I’ll finally meet Tobin,” Christen says, trying to change the subject.</p><p>“Ehh, I doubt it. I honestly haven’t seen her in weeks. She sometimes goes out to the woods by herself and posts up at a campsite next to the lake. She’ll spend <em> days </em>rowing on the lake and trail running through the woods. She claims that it’s therapeutic and necessary for her mental and physical health, but I think she sneaks out there with chicks. There’s NO WAY any sane person would just spend days by themselves in the woods, unless they were on the run from the authorities.”</p><p>This does nothing to change Christen’s mind that the upperclassmen are fucking with them about who Tobin actually is. That story seemed way too wild to be true. Christen tries to imagine spending days by herself in the woods, lost in her thoughts. She shudders at the thought.</p><p>A comfortable silence falls over the table for the rest of lunch. Kelley is still texting the hot field hockey player, and Christen’s mind has drifted to the story that Kelley told her about Tobin. She realizes that she is envious of the girl, and she’s never even met her. Spending weeks, or even days, alone takes a lot of emotional maturity, and Christen realizes in that moment that she may not be as mature as she thinks she is. She shakes her head at the thought and goes back to thinking that Tobin is just a myth. There is no way that any one person could be that perfect.</p><p>“Well either way, I am excited to finally get a taste of these legendary Gaggle parties,” Christen says.</p><p>Kelley looks up from her phone with a mischievous smile on her face.</p><p>“Oh honey, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Collision Course</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Christen discovers that the myth is real, although still unbelievable.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I was going to wait to post this chapter, but it is Friday, so why not a little T and C meet cute! Also, the reception to the first chapter has been amazing. Thank you! Happy Friday!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Christen could swear that she had never had to pee worse in her entire life.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She had gotten an early start to her day, and after an amazing hot yoga session that left her mind clear and her body loose, she was also pretty dehydrated.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She started chugging water right around the time that Kelley called her in a frenzied panic. The Gaggle was hosting a pre-season party, and Kelley was responsible for decorations, but she "forgot" to pick them up the day before because she got "caught up". And </span>
  <em>
    <span>no</span>
  </em>
  <span>, it had NOTHING to do with the cute brunette  that Kelley had been texting all throughout lunch the day before. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kelley begged Christen to go with her to Party City, and in a dehydrated stupor, Christen said yes. She downed 2 more glasses of water right as Kelley was pulling up to her apartment. As she should have expected, their “1 hour at most” trip turned into at least 3 hours and 4 different stores. Kelley just </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>to get the jello shot containers with the lids and Christen was about to strangle the freckled-face girl in a blind fit of rage.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Kelley, there is absolutely no difference between these and the ones with the lids,” Christen all but yells at Kelley in the middle of the plasticware aisle of Costco.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes there is! These don’t have lids. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>the difference!” Kelley is gesturing wildly with her hands and frankly, her eyes look a little wild. Christen closes her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Kelley, I am literally begging you to just get these jello shot cups and take me home. I have needed to pee since we left Walmart. That was 2 stores ago. And you </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>I cannot, and will not, use a public restroom.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kelley takes a deep breath and looks at Christen. She sees that Christen is a little misty eyed,  and Kelley has the audacity to actually feel bad.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine. But this does not mean that I agree with you. I just don't want you to ruin the leather in my car because your bladder exploded.” Kelley snatches the jumbo bag of jello shot cups and stomps towards the checkout. Christen sighs in relief and hustles after her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>----------</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They finally made it back to The Gaggle, and Christen had just finished setting the last of the bags down in the kitchen. She immediately goes to the bathroom off the kitchen, but is met with a surprised Kelley, squatting over the toilet.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Kelley, are you </span>
  <em>
    <span>kidding </span>
  </em>
  <span>me! You KNOW I have to pee like a racehorse.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry Pressy, but I honestly forgot, and my pants are already around my ankles. But you can use Tobin’s bathroom upstairs. She’s literally never home.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Christen could burn a hole through Kelley’s skull with the heat of her gaze, but she doesn’t stick around long enough to find out. She turns on a dime and runs up the stairs, taking them two at a time. She gets to the top of the stairs and goes to make a beeline for the open bathroom door. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Eureka</span>
  </em>
  <span>, she thinks, but her path is cut short as she runs into what she can only imagine, is a brick wall that appeared out of nowhere.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck!” Christen, shouts. She was more startled than anything, and honestly, pretty annoyed that she keeps getting interrupted from her mission. She was so startled in fact, that she barely registered the “Ooomf” coming from the magical brick wall she just ran into. It isn’t until she gets her bearings, that she realizes that she in fact did not run into a brick wall that materialized out of nowhere, but a tall, very muscular, half naked woman in a sports bra and a towel wrapped low around her waist. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my god, I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>so </span>
  </em>
  <span>sorry! I-” Christen starts to apologize but stops as she locks eyes with the stranger. She is only a couple of inches taller than Christen, but her broad shoulders, strong arms and good posture makes it seem like she towers over her. Her wide eyes are the most perfect shade of honey brown, and her long, chestnut hair is perfectly wavy and falling over one shoulder. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Holy shit, she’s perfect </span>
  </em>
  <span> Christen thinks, completely unaware that the other girl was thinking the exact same thing about her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Christen blinks owlishly at her, until suddenly, her bladder reminds her of the most important quest of her life. “Uh, I have to pee”, she says, and turns to run into the bathroom, leaving the stranger very confused, but even more amused. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Christen </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally </span>
  </em>
  <span>makes it into the bathroom, and is on the toilet in record time, feeling like Lara Croft after completing a very physically and emotionally taxing quest. She takes a deep breath and suddenly realizes that the stranger she ran into was probably also heading for the bathroom, and she starts to blush instantly. She goes through the motions of finishing up, and takes a deep breath before opening the bathroom door. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The Amazonian goddess she ran into is standing across the hall from the bathroom, leaning against the wall with her ankles crossed. At the sound of the bathroom door opening, she looks up from her phone and sees a very embarrassed, very adorable black-haired beauty walking out of the bathroom with her head down. ”Crisis averted?” the stranger asks, a more or less permanent smirk on her face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I am really sorry that I basically attacked you”, Christen starts, refusing to look up at the intimidatingly fit woman in front of her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, it’s no problem. Total strangers can body slam me and then lock themselves in my bathroom any time.” Christen’s eyes widen, and she looks up at the girl, mortified as she realizes that she had just completely cut her off while she was going into her </span>
  <em>
    <span>own bathroom.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She would probably die on the spot, if it wasn’t for the very pretty, very intoxicating smile on this goddesses face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Christen allows herself to get a good look at the woman in front of her, and she swears that she must have been created in a lab. Every inch of tan skin on display is lean, and she has abs like Christen has never seen on a woman.  She catches a glimpse of an unmistakable symbol on the inside of her forearm. It’s a colorful tattoo with five interconnected circles. Very simple, but very powerful. </span>
  <em>
    <span>She’s an olympian? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Christen questions to herself, and then it hits her. Her eyes go wide and her head snaps back up at literally break neck speed. “Oh my god, you’re Tobin Heath! You’re ‘The Rower’! You went to the Olympics and won a gold medal! I thought you were a myth!” Christen practically yells, as Tobin just laughs heartily at the beautiful green-eyed woman.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, I am Tobin Heath. And I have told Kelley to stop referring to me as ‘The Rower’ to her friends. It makes me sound like the world’s most boring superhero.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> Christen just stares at Tobin. She’s actually starstruck. She remembers Kelley telling her about her housemate and friend Tobin, “The Rower”. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Christen, I swear, she’s the coolest person I have ever met! She is the youngest person to ever win a gold medal with the US Women’s Crew team at the Olympics. You would think she would be insufferably cocky, but she’s really chill. Other than her insane body, you would never know she was an Olympian.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Christen continues staring at Tobin, completely unaware that an uncomfortable amount of time has passed since Tobin confirmed her outburst about who she is. Kelley was not exaggerating. Tobin’s body is insane. Tobin shifts a little, taken aback at how nervous the gorgeous black-woman was.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I am assuming you’re Kelley’s friend,” Tobin continues, “since I told her that her guests are more than welcome to use my bathroom.” When Christen still doesn’t respond, Tobin smirks and keeps going. “Or maybe you’re just a really pretty burglar, which is also fine. But if you are a burglar, I must warn you, the gold medal isn’t here. It’s in Jersey at my parent’s house. Otherwise, I am just a normal broke, college kid.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This comment finally snaps Christen out of her trance. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Did she just ask if I was a burglar? Wait, did she just call me pretty?!</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tobin didn’t think it was possible, but Christen blushes even more, her smooth, brown skin turning an impossible shade of crimson. Tobin knows she is also blushing, but she doesn’t think that Christen would notice, even if she wanted to. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not a burglar, I’m Christen. Kelley’s friend and teammate. I just transferred here from Stanford, but I’ve known Kelley pretty much my entire life. I’m really sorry again for bulldozing you on the way to your own bathroom.” Christen is finally able to catch her breath and huff out a coherent response. Tobin smiles at her and Christen feels her entire body bathed in warmth. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe she’s a vampire and she’s glamouring me. No Christen, vampires are not real and you REALLY need to stop taking True Blood so seriously. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s nice to meet you, Christen. Welcome to Carolina! If you’re on the soccer team, I am sure we will be seeing a lot more of each other...even if you have already seen me basically naked.” Tobin winks at Christen, and it is the final tip of the spear. Christen knows that if she doesn’t leave now, she </span>
  <em>
    <span>will </span>
  </em>
  <span>spontaneously combust. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Great, well see you later!” Christen turns and practically sprints back down the stairs, moving as fast as her long legs will take her. She had not expected to meet such an impressive human being today, but she also hadn’t expected to make a complete fool out of herself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Real smooth, Christen. Real smooth. She probably thinks you’re so weird. Good thing she’s usually never around.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tobin just stood there with her mouth slightly open. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Who WAS that? Maybe the wink was too much. I hope I didn’t make her uncomfortable. She probably doesn’t even like girls. </span>
  </em>
  <span>A thousand questions, and an equal number of doubts flood Tobin’s mind. She shakes her head to clear her mind and turns to go into the bathroom to achieve her original task of taking a shower. She had rowed a moderately paced, steady-state 10k this morning, but her muscles suddenly felt heavy and she realized that her body was overwhelmed. Tobin closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, a technique she had perfected since becoming a competitive athlete. Once she felt back to normal, she hopped into the shower and allowed the hot water to ease out the last bit of tension in her body. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe she will be at the party tonight, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobin wondered to herself. She couldn’t decide if the feeling in her gut was excitement, nerves or fear.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading! I hope y'all enjoyed. I am almost done with Chapter 3 and will try to post soon.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Live Forever</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A little bit of liquid courage can go a long way.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi y'all! Welcome back! The responses to the first 2 chapters have been awesome. Thank y'all so much! Hope you enjoy a little college house party shenanigans!</p><p>Chapter title is based on the song "Live Forever" by Liam Payne fest. Cheat Codes</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Christen hasn’t stopped blushing since she ran out of the house and jumped in her car. She barely even waved good-bye to Kelley, mumbling that she forgot she had to do something before the party that night. Kelley was so upset that Christen wasn’t staying to help her decorate, that she didn’t even notice the bright red color of Christen’s skin. </p><p> </p><p>Christen got back to her apartment and immediately jumped into the shower, turning the water on cold. She stood under the freezing cold stream and let the water cool her burning body. She was so disoriented that she felt like she was in a fever dream. Her mind kept wandering back to broad shoulders, perfectly sculpted arms, immaculate abs, miles of smooth, tan skin, and the softest, most sincere brown eyes. <em> Stop! Stop thinking about her! Stop thinking about that smirk and that wink and the sexiest person you’ve EVER met. STOP!! </em></p><p> </p><p>She quickly threw on some soccer shorts and a tank top and grabbed her yoga mat out of her closet. She turned off the lights, rolled out her mat, and sat cross-legged on the floor. Christen took a <em> deep </em>breath. The kind of deep breath where you feel your lungs expand to an uncomfortable level. She holds it for as long as she can, and then exhales slowly from her mouth. She does this three more times and closes her eyes to mediate. Meditation never failed to help her reframe her mind, and after about 20 minutes of stillness, Christen’s pulse finally returned to normal. </p><p> </p><p>Christen stood up and stretched. She goes to put up her mat in her closet and catches a glimpse of herself in the mirror hanging off the back of her bedroom door. Since hitting puberty, she never had a problem with having confidence in her appearance. But as she looks at the reflection of herself, she starts to wonder if maybe she's too skinny, or that her hair is too wild. She starts to wonder what kind of girl Tobin would like. She wonders if she could ever be someone worthy of being liked by someone so accomplished, and so dangerously good looking. </p><p> </p><p>Christen shakes her head and proceeds to the closet to put away her yoga mat. She takes a hard look at her wardrobe options and decides right there that if by any chance Tobin happens to be at this party, she wants to make sure she makes a much more put together second impression. She pulls out her best outfit and goes to work on her makeup.</p><p> </p><p>----------</p><p> </p><p>Christen arrives at the party about 30 minutes late. She’s not surprised that she is still one of the first people there, having yet to get used to the way that people in The South moved at their own pace. She walks straight to the kitchen and is even more unsurprised to find the rest of The Gaggle hovering over the island taking shots. She rounds the corner into the kitchen just in time for everyone to slam their empty shot glasses down, and screw up their faces at the putrid taste of cheap, room temperature vodka.</p><p> </p><p>“Pressy! You’re here!” Before Christen can even register what is happening, Ashlyn is pulling her into a bone crushing hug. Ashlyn was the starting keeper and one of the most laid back people that Christen had ever met.</p><p> </p><p>“Jesus, Ash! Don’t kill the poor girl. She hasn’t even played a game for us and we <em> need </em>her speed up top.” Ali Krieger pushed Ashlyn out of the way as she gave Christen a much more dainty, but equally as enthusiastic hug. Ashlyn and Ali had been dating since the end of Freshman year. After one year of living in such close proximity, the sexual tension had just become too much and they finally decided to act on it. They still maintained their own rooms in the house though, making sure that they could still hold onto some independence and alone time. </p><p> </p><p>Christen is still smiling at Ali, when she feels a firm pat on her back. “Yeah, Pressy is a total cannon on the field. Let’s just say that I am really glad we will be playing on the same side now.” Meghan Klingenberg, most commonly known as Kling, exclaims as she pats Christen one last time, knocking the breath out of the poor girl a little. For such a small person, she was stupid strong. And one hell of a good defender.</p><p> </p><p>“Good God, Chris. You look dressed to kill! Are you out to give someone a heart attack tonight?” Megan Rapinoe blurts out while smirking from the opposite side of the island. </p><p> </p><p>Christen blushes and looks down at her outfit. She knew that she might be potentially overdressed, but she was trying to impress a 21 year old <em> Olympian </em> for God’s sake <em> , </em>so had to go all out. Especially after their disastrous moment earlier in the day. Christen starts to feel herself getting flustered and rushes to change the subject.</p><p> </p><p>“Where’s Kelley?” Christen asks, knowing that Kelley would usually never pass up an opportunity for shots.</p><p> </p><p>“She’s still in her room getting ready. She’s really trying to make an impression on that field hockey player. I told her that she didn’t stand a chance, but apparently, they've been sexting ever since that night that they made out at Goodfellow’s,” Ashlyn says. Christen makes a fake gagging noise and Ali swats at Ashlyn’s shoulder, silently scolding her for telling Kelley’s personal business.</p><p> </p><p>Christen is about to respond when she sees Pinoe’s eyes go wide and her face shift into genuine amusement at something behind Christen.</p><p> </p><p>“Well I’ll be damned! Tobin Heath! As I live and breathe! What the fuck are you doing here?!” Pinoe yells.</p><p> </p><p>“Um, I live here dude,” Tobin responds, feigning annoyance. Christen whips around and gets her first look at Tobin. She thought she was prepared to see Tobin again. After all, the girl would <em> hopefully </em> be fully dressed, and Christen was counting on it to help keep her eyes from involuntarily drifting to those abs. Unfortunately, Christen was <em> really </em>unprepared.</p><p> </p><p>Tobin was wearing black jeans and a short sleeved popover linen shirt. The shirt was a half button, but only 2 buttons were actually secured, leaving the majority of her tan chest on display. The sleeves we rolled, probably out of necessity, and her biceps rippled as she ran a hand through her hair, and popped a black snapback securely on her head. Tobin locks eyes with her, and if Christen didn’t have a good grip onto the countertop, she would have crumpled to the floor in a heap and just laid there until death and embarrassment overtook her. Luckily, that didn’t happen.</p><p> </p><p>“Um, “live” is a pretty loose term since I’m pretty sure you actually live in the gym,” Kling laughs out.</p><p> </p><p>“And the woods,” Pinoe tacks on. Tobin flips them both the bird and makes her way over to the fridge to grab a beer.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> How does she drink beer, and have that kind of body. She might actually be bionic. Is it legal to fuck a robot? Is it ETHICAL? I should have paid more attention in that ethics class last year. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Hi Christen. Long time no see,” Tobin addresses Christen from across the kitchen, and Christen realizes in that moment that she had been staring at Tobin. She can feel the blush creep up her chest to her neck. </p><p> </p><p>“Wait, how do you two know each other? Christen just got to campus like 4 weeks ago and you’ve been God knows where since Spring semester ended,” Pinoe says, looking between the two with genuine confusion.</p><p> </p><p>“We met today actually. Right after I got back from my camping trip. We just so happened to run into each other.”</p><p> </p><p>Christen can’t help but to snort out a laugh at the irony of the statement. They didn’t just run into each other. Christen plowed into Tobin like an angry bull, and if it wasn’t for Tobin’s massive stature, she probably would have actually hurt the girl. It isn’t until Ashlyn clears her throat that Christen realizes that everyone in the kitchen is looking at her, expecting her to say something. <em> Good lord woman. You really have it bad. </em></p><p> </p><p>“Hi Tobin. It’s nice to see you too...fully dressed.”</p><p> </p><p>Tobin chokes on her beer a little and starts coughing. Pinoe reaches over and slaps her on the back.</p><p> </p><p>“You’ve never been able to hold your liquor, but if you’re choking on beer, then you’ve really hit an all time low.”</p><p> </p><p>“Shut up, Pinoe,” Tobin chokes out and Christen notices for the first time a tell-tale blush forming at the tip of her ears. </p><p> </p><p>Before the situation can get more awkward, Kelley comes flying around the corner. “I have arrived. Let’s do this! Jello shots bitches!”</p><p> </p><p>A chaotic energy returns to the kitchen as Pinoe scrambles to hand out jello shots to everyone. Christen steals one last look at Tobin, and is pleasantly surprised to see the girl looking back at her. Tobin looks away guiltily. Christen smiles to herself and knocks back the first of many jello shots.</p><p> </p><p>----------</p><p> </p><p>The party was a lot more crowded than Christen had anticipated. It seemed like every athlete from the entire university was there. Kelley had not exaggerated...The Gaggle knew how to throw a party. There were people everywhere Christen looked, and she had not seen Kelley for at least an hour; however, she knew exactly where Tobin was. Christen had been keeping mental track of the Olympian’s movements since the party got started. She wasn’t trying to be intentionally creepy, but she really could not stop looking over at her. At first, Christen was shocked to find that the majority of the time she looked over at Tobin, she would catch Tobin looking back at her. They would both avert their gazes quickly and pretend that neither person saw the other glancing; however, there seemed to be a direct correlation between the number of drinks that Christen consumed and the number of seconds she would purposely make eye contact with Tobin from across the room. Tobin was currently sitting on the back of the couch engaged in an amusing conversation with two football players about which Premier League team was the most superior. </p><p> </p><p>Christen was enjoying a conversation with her teammates, Julie and Crystal, about the best products for taming their hair in the humidity. It was probably the most important conversation that Christen had engaged in with anyone since moving to North Carolina, and she was genuinely entertained by Julie’s stories and Crystal’s antics. Christen really liked Julie and Crystal. They were hilarious, not to mention kick-ass soccer players, but more importantly, Christen felt like she could become great friends with them over the next couple of years. </p><p>Crystal was just finishing up a particularly entertaining story about getting caught in the rain Freshman year when Christen locks eyes with Tobin as she’s walking up with Julie’s boyfriend, Zach.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey babe, wanna slay in some beer pong?” Zach drunkenly slurs while throwing his large arm around Julie’s shoulder. Zach played tight end on the football team, and had a large enough stature to make Tobin look smaller than she actually was.</p><p> </p><p>“Ew, Zach. Please don’t use the word “slay” ever again. And secondly, no I do not. But you should partner with Crystal. She is the reigning beer pong champion on the team,” Julie replies.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I am <em> SO </em>down! It has been too long since I have gotten to whoop some ass in beer pong,” Crystal exclaims, leaning over to give Zach an enthusiastic high five.</p><p> </p><p>“Dammit Crystal! I was banking on you being my partner! I made a bet with Zach that we would win. What the fuck am I supposed to do now?” Tobin pipes up, annoyed that she was probably about to lose twenty bucks.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sure Pressy wouldn’t mind playing with you,” Julie says with a sly smile, noticing how Christen immediately started blushing when Tobin and Zach walked over.</p><p> </p><p>Christen turns towards Tobin while Tobin looks down at her.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you want to be my partner?” Tobin asks, her voice low and shy. Christen can tell that she had been drinking by the slight slur in her already slow drawl.</p><p> </p><p>Christen loves the way that the question sounds coming out of Tobin’s mouth. Tobin is looking down at her with big, hopeful eyes, and a dopey smile. Christen barely knows the girl, but she can tell that drunk Tobin is a soft Tobin, and she definitely wants to be around her as much as possible.</p><p> </p><p>“You know what? Why the hell not? Let’s kick some ass!” Christen knocks back the last gulp of her vodka soda and grabs Tobin’s hand, leading her over to the beer pong table. </p><p> </p><p>Tobin is so shocked, that it takes her brain at least 3 seconds to catch up, and she trips over her feet a little bit. As they get to the table, Christen turns around and looks up at Tobin.</p><p> </p><p>“I have to warn you...I’m a little drunk. And I’m terrible at beer pong. I’m probably the worst partner you could have picked. Especially since...you know...you’re an Olympic athlete and like super fit, and I’m just...me.” Christen starts rambling. She looks down and notices that she is still holding Tobin’s hand. <em> Gosh, her hands are big.. and calloused, but soft? I wonder if she regularly moisturizes.  </em></p><p> </p><p>Christen is pulled out of her thoughts by Tobin clearing her throat. She snaps her head up and looks at Tobin, mortified that she had been secretly fantasizing about Tobin’s hands.</p><p> </p><p>“Listen, I’m flattered that you think I’m some sort of world class athlete, but I literally started rowing because I was so terrible at basketball, that my parents feared for the safety of the other kids. So, I think you might be the perfect partner for me.” Tobin gives Christen’s hand a reassuring squeeze and winks at her. She lets go of Christen’s hand and reaches up to readjust her hat, giving Christen a less shaded view of her face and a very clear view of her flexing biceps. Christen can see a slight blush on Tobin’s chiseled cheeks and it relaxes her a bit. <em> Either she is just as nervous as I am, or she’s just as drunk as I am. Whatever, just keep your cool. </em>Christen does her best to clear her mind, and turns to get the game started.</p><p> </p><p>----------</p><p> </p><p>As expected, Christen and Tobin get crushed. Christen rolls her eyes as the ball plops into the last cup on their side of the table. She takes the ball out and knocks back the warm beer, closing her eyes tight at the taste. She slams the cup down on the table and stumbles a little bit into Tobin, who catches Christen by the waist. Christen reaches out and grabs a hold of Tobin’s shoulders to balance herself. She can feel the definition of muscle through Tobin’s thin, linen shirt. Crystal and Zach are celebrating their win loudly, but to Christen, it sounds like they’re miles away as she’s standing so close to Tobin. </p><p> </p><p><em> How can someone who looks so hard be so soft? </em>Christen wonders to herself, as she absentmindedly feels on Tobin’s shoulders.</p><p> </p><p>Tobin chuckles above her, and Christen realizes that she <em> definitely </em>just said that out loud. Normally, she would run away in horror at her inability to keep it together, but she was kind of too drunk and too happy to care. Also, Tobin had a calming presence that made Christen feel safe, even though she was sufficiently inebriated, and she had started to relax more and more around the girl. She even tried her hand at flirting with Tobin, which seemed to be working well, as Tobin seemed to get increasingly flustered and shy.</p><p> </p><p>“Do you want to dance?” Tobin asks softly, smiling down at Christen. Her thumbs were rubbing small circles into Christen’s hips and Christen felt mesmerized. She can only nod at the girl, looking up into Tobin’s eyes dreamily. Tobin chuckles while taking Christen’s hand, leading her over to the dance floor.</p><p> </p><p>The song playing is some Top 40 pop song that Christen has definitely heard while in Kelley’s car on the way to the mall. It’s flirty and fun, and the beat is perfect. Tobin turns around and starts dancing with Christen face-to-face. Tobin is not the best dancer in the world, but the girl can keep a beat. And Christen is having the time of her life. Tobin keeps spinning her and busting weird moves and Christen is laughing so hard, that she can barely catch her breath. </p><p> </p><p>As a particularly fun Dua Lipa song comes to an end, a slower Halsey song blends in and starts playing. Christen takes time to get a good look at Tobin, and if she was sober, she would most likely melt at how good Tobin looks. She’s got the kind of smile on her face that you have when you’re on a rollercoaster and just can’t stop smiling. She’s a little sweaty, but the glisten of her arms make her biceps look ridiculously toned. With the alcohol in her system giving her a lion’s courage, Christen reaches out and grabs Tobin’s hand, pulling the taller girl towards her. Tobin’s face immediately shifts to a look of surprise. She places Tobin’s hand on her waist and then slowly turns so her back is to Tobin’s front. The song builds to a slow grind, and Christen reaches up and wraps her hand around the back of Tobin’s neck. She can feel Tobin’s breathing quicken as hot puffs of air hit the back of her neck. It’s the best that she’s felt in a long time. Everyone in the room slowly fades away as Christen focuses on the softness of Tobin’s hair between her fingers, and the slight pressure of Tobin’s hand on her waist. She’s almost certainly ascended into heaven, when the moment is ruined by a drunk, Kelley jostling her back into reality. </p><p> </p><p>“PRESSY! There you are! I haven’t seen you all night! This is Alex! Isn’t she hot?!” Kelley all but yells at Christen. Christen and Tobin separate immediately. Christen looks over at Tobin and sees the poor girl looking off in space while rubbing the back of her neck. Christen turns back towards Kelley and Alex and smiles sheepishly. She’s still too shocked to say anything, or even introduce herself to Alex. She assumes that Alex is the field hockey player that everyone keeps mentioning, but Christen literally can’t muster up the ability to care.</p><p> </p><p>Kelley looks back and forth between Tobin and Christen with a look of confusion, but she doesn't acknowledge that there was something clearly intimate going on between the two girls. </p><p> </p><p>“Anyways...let’s go into the kitchen so we can talk. And take shots!” Kelley says excitedly, and then hustles off into the kitchen, dragging Alex behind her. </p><p> </p><p>Christen tries to steal a glance at Tobin, but sees her looking at her with an unreadable expression. “After you,” Tobin says as she jesters for Christen to walk ahead of her.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> What the hell was that? Bumping and grinding with a stranger in the middle of a party? But Tobin doesn’t feel like a stranger...and she’s super fucking hot. Ugh! </em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>The kitchen is significantly less crowded, and Kelley is drowning on and on about God knows what, but Alex seems to be legitimately interested in whatever Kelley is saying. Tobin has been virtually silent since they got to the kitchen. Every time Christen looks over at her, she’s staring off into space with wide eyes. Christen goes over and bumps Tobin with her hip. She visibly shakes her head like she’s trying to clear her thoughts and looks down at Christen with soft brown eyes and a shy smile.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks for dancing with me. I had a lot of fun. I actually had more fun than I’ve had in a very long time,” Christen says.</p><p> </p><p>Tobin smiles wide at that. “Thank you for being my beer pong partner. I told you I was awful, but you knocked back those beers like a champ. I honestly thought you were going to make me drink all of the cups. Let’s just say I was pleasantly surprised” Tobin says.</p><p> </p><p>“Well, there’s a lot about me that you don’t know that may surprise you,” Christen says, trying to wink at Tobin, but accidentally closing both eyes.</p><p> </p><p>Tobin throws her head back in genuine laughter and reaches across the counter to grab a half empty bottle of tequila.</p><p> </p><p>“Wanna share this and get to know each other?” Tobin asks Christen, with a smirk on her face.</p><p> </p><p>Christen knows that she should say no. She’s already a few drinks over the line, and God only knows what she might do or say if she blacks out. But Tobin is looking at her with squinty eyes, and a megawatt smile. So Christen does the last thing that she probably should do. “Absolutely,” she responds. </p><p> </p><p>Tobin whips around and grabs the salt shaker and tosses a handful of lime wedges into a Solo cup, and then hands them both to Christen. </p><p> </p><p>“Let’s head out back,” Tobin replies, and turns to head back into the crowd. </p><p> </p><p>Christen follows after Tobin immediately without asking any questions. She feels herself being pulled in and she has a fleeting thought that she might be falling too fast. But she couldn’t stop herself if she tried. Christen was like a skydiver hurtling towards the Earth, and Tobin was gravity.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Feels</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Christen panics....a lot.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi Everyone! I hope y'all have been safe and warm! The past 3 months at work have been INSANE, which is great, but I also have not had time to update. I have a better idea of where this is going, so hopefully I can update more frequently. There's a little angst in this chapter, but this will not be a super angsty fic.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Christen felt herself slowly gaining consciousness. She could feel the telltale signs of a massive hangover before she even opened her eyes. While she took a few steadying breaths with her eyes still closed, she reflected on the night before. Flashes of tan skin, brown eyes, white teeth and tequila dance around in her mind. She can feel a slight smile tug at the corner of her lips as she remembers her time with Tobin. They talked well into the night, and there were times when Christen laughed so hard, she actually couldn’t catch her breath. They talked about California and New Jersey, and the differences between their childhoods. Christen found herself enamored by the stories Tobin shared about her time as an Olympic athlete. Christen deduced that last night had been one of the best nights of her life, and there was only one person she could thank for that. As much as she enjoyed thinking about every detail of her time spent with Tobin, Christen knew that she had a limited window to try and get ahead of her hangover, and she could hear Kelley shuffling around the room. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ugh, I should really get up. Also, what the hell is Kelley doing up before me?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Christen slowly sat up and cracked one eye open, fully preparing herself to be tackled back on to the bed. But instead of her hyper, overactive best friend, she’s met with a muscled back and toned legs in black boxer briefs, rummaging through a pile of clothes across the room.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tobin?! What are you doing in Kelley’s room?” Christen blurts out, eyes wide as she starts to take in the situation. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why is she in her underwear? Jesus, why do I keep accidentally seeing this girl basically naked. Wait, why am I in my underwear?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tobin spun around quickly, completely startled by the sudden voice in the room.“Oh hey! You’re awake. Sorry, if I woke you up. I was trying to be super quiet, but my room’s kind of a mess and I tripped over a pair of shoes and….hey, are you okay?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Where am I? What happened? Where are your clothes? WHERE ARE MY CLOTHES?!” Christen started exclaiming, her hands gesturing wildly as the pitch of her voice raised with each question.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Tobin could see the panic start to rise on Christen’s face, and immediately threw on one of the two shirts she was deliberating on wearing, quickly making her way over to the panicked girl. Kneeling down next to the bed, she cautiously reached her hand out and gently cupped Christen’s face, turning it towards her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Chris, hey, it’s okay. Look at me and breathe, okay? You’re in my bed. You were way too drunk to go home and crashed here.” Tobin says calmly, trying to keep her voice as even and mellow as possible. Christen slowly meets her eyes, and Tobin smiles at her, captivated by how green they look in the morning light.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why did I sleep in your bed and not with Kelley?” Christen asks nervously. She’s absolutely horrified at the possibility, and probability, that she got black out drunk and slept with Tobin. Not that sleeping with Tobin would be the worst thing in the world, but definitely not the great second impression that she had been going for. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, you tried to sleep in Kelley’s room, but Kelley was a little...preoccupied. We were all really drunk and tired, so I offered for you to sleep in my bed. I walked you upstairs, and gave you some of my clothes to sleep in. I ran downstairs to grab a few bottles of water and some Advil, but you were asleep when I got back. Your clothes were in a pile on the floor….next to the clothes that I had given you. I folded your clothes for you, and then I slept on the floor.” Tobin tries her best to keep her tone very matter of fact, hoping that Christen would realize that the night had ended completely innocently between them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Christen looks at the sincere look on Tobin’s face, and can tell that she is telling the truth. She starts to relax, relieved that the situation was the exact opposite of what she had immediately thought. Her mind starts subconsciously drifting to the events that led to her in Tobin’s bed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Christen bursting into Kelley’s room to find Kelley and Alex in a more than compromising position. Christen stopping dead in her tracks, wondering how in the hell Alex was flexible enough to stay in that position. Suddenly, feeling strong arms lift her from behind and carrying her out of the room. Melting into a pool of drunken giggles. Being led upstairs to Tobin’s room. Awkwardly standing next to Tobin’s bed while she’s asked if she wanted shorts or sweatpants. Deciding that she wanted neither and crawling into soft sheets while she dozed off, surrounded by the overwhelming smell of Tobin.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“OMG, I walked in on Kelley and Alex, didn’t I?” Christen asks while burying her face in her hands.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tobin lets out a hearty laugh. “Yes, you did. I told you not to go in there, but you insisted that you and Kelley had a ‘tradition’ to crash together after parties. Let’s just say, the look on your face was </span>
  <em>
    <span>priceless,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobin laughs out.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“</span>
  </em>
  <span>Honestly, I think I was literally so amazed at how flexible Alex is that I just froze in wonder. Like, seriously, good for her,” Christen says seriously, which elicits even more beautiful laughter from the Olympian.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well thank you again for letting me crash here. I can’t believe that I hogged the bed and made you sleep on the floor. This is the second time that I have just completely taken over your personal space.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Seriously Chris, it's no big deal. It kind of felt like an old school sleepover. Besides, after spending weeks in the woods, I’ve started to prefer sleeping in a sleeping bag.” Tobin smiles softly at Christen, not really noticing that she was still gently cupping Christen’s face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Christen gets a good look at Tobin, and honestly, she’s never been more jealous of a human person in her life. How the fuck does someone look so good after the night that they had. Christen felt like she was on death’s door, waiting to be swept into depths of hell at any second, and Tobin looked like she just emerged from the fountain of youth.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, I have another weird question for you,” Christen asks with a slight hint of playfulness.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You can ask me anything in the world and it would never be weird,” Tobin replies seriously.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Um...why are you wet?” Christen asks slowly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tobins eyebrows shoot up to her hairline before she realizes that Christen is referring to the fact that water is dripping down the front of her shirt from her hair that is somehow still wet. “Oh! I woke up hella early, so I went for a run. It was clear from your snores that you were not going to be joining the land of the living anytime soon, so I took off. It’s the best cure I’ve found for a hangover, and also, the best way to start your day. Anyways, I just got out of the shower..which is also why I was in my underwear when you woke up. Just in case you were wondering,” Tobin explains excitedly while jumping up from her crouched position on the floor. She grabs two stacks of neatly folded clothes and hands them to Christen. One is her outfit from the night before, which is way less appropriate now that it is 9 AM and sunny outside. The other is a pair of USA Rowing running shorts and a Carolina Rowing T-shirt. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“If you want to borrow some clothes, the offer still stands,” Tobin says and gives Christen her signature wink. She then turns and heads out of the room to give Christen some privacy to change. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Christen looks at her party outfit and Tobin’s clothes, trying to decide which one she wants to put on. She enthusiastically chooses the latter. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>----------</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a slightly awkward hug from Tobin where Christen tries really hard not to get caught inhaling Tobin’s scent as much as she can, Christen gathers the rest of her belongings and drives home. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She immediately takes a long shower, and gets to work on her hangover. Tobin made her take 2 Extra Strength Advil before she left, so her head was already feeling a lot less foggy. She chokes down a big bowl of oatmeal and starts hydrating. After a much needed, 30 minute meditation, she starts to feel more like herself again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Classes were scheduled to start in a couple of days, and Christen really wanted to get her mind right before the semester started. She had a really strong GPA for her first 2 years at Stanford, and she wanted to make sure that she kept up that momentum. If her time at Stanford had taught her anything, it was the importance of religiously sticking to her schedule and her planner. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She sits down on the floor with her laptop and her planner and gets to work filling in all of their practices, training sessions, and game days. She emails her soccer schedule to all of her professors, along with an introduction of herself. She’s about an hour into her preparations when her acoustic playlist is interrupted by a text message alert. She glances over at her phone and notices that the text is from a number that is not saved in her phone. Curious, she reads the message.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Unknown (5:36 pm):</b>
  <span> Hey Christen! It’s Tobin. I got your number from Kelley. I just wanted to say that I had an awesome time getting to know you last night. Maybe we can grab dinner sometime soon? ;)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Christen feels a subconscious smile pulling at her lips and a familiar fluttering in her stomach. Tobin made her feel a way that she had never felt before. Sure she had been attracted to women. At one point, she thinks she may have even been in love. It was her attraction to a certain Spaniard junior transfer on her team that had a large hand in her ultimate decision to flee California and move across the country. Christen is overcome by new feelings of fear, regret and embarrassment, greeting her like an old friend.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>On the plane from California to North Carolina, Christen did some serious reflection on how she got herself in that situation. She made a promise to herself that she would never let another person affect her so emotionally that it distracted her from her goals again. Her whirlwind romance with Vero had been just that; a tornado that came into her life and left nothing but devastation and broken hearts in its wake. The one semester that Christen gave to Vero, was her worst as far as grades, and when the dust settled, most of her teammates took Vero’s side and left Christen all alone. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tobin and Vero were </span>
  <em>
    <span>extremely </span>
  </em>
  <span>different people with polar opposite personalities. Vero was manipulative, where Tobin was honest. Vero was cocky, where Tobin was confident. But Christen felt that blinding attraction to Tobin that she had once felt towards Vero. She knew that no matter how perfect Tobin may seem, she could not allow herself to fall head first and risk getting hurt again. After some deep internal reflection, she types out her response. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Chris (5:45 pm): </b>
  <span>Hi Tobin! I had a great time last night too. Thank you again for being so kind and letting me crash in your bed. With the season and school starting, I am really going to buckle down and focus on soccer and my classes. But I’m sure I will see you around The Gaggle! Good luck with rowing and classes!</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Tobin (5:55 pm): </b>
  <span>I get it. Being a student-athlete is kind of the worst. See you around!</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Across campus, Tobin could not stop looking at the text from Christen with an involuntary frown on her face. She had waffled back and forth for hours on how to ask the green-eyed girl out. She settled on kind and casual, just like her. Christen’s response felt like a polite rejection, and Tobin was feeling especially confused. Christen had shown every sign of being into her, and even though Tobin had literally zero time to devote to anything other than school and rowing, Christen was the first person who had ever made her want to try.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe this is for the better, for both of us. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Tobin repeats the mantra in her head over and over as she jumps up on the pull up bar in her bedroom doorway and gets to work. She goes until her arms give out from physical exhaustion.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Haunted</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"I know if I'm haunting you, you must be haunting me."</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey y'all! </p>
<p>I hope my fellow Texans fared well from the storm! </p>
<p>I realized that this story was unintentionally becoming a slow burn, but I wanted the character development to be more about emotional maturity. That being said, things will speed up a bit between TC in the next couple of chapters. Thanks for sticking around, and enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>August rolls into September, which bleeds into October, and before Christen knows it, midterms have arrived. The semester was going exactly as planned and Christen had never been more focused in her entire life. She was in the top percentile for all of her classes and the soccer season was going better than anyone had expected. Christen had busted her ass into a starting position, and was leading the team in goals. She was scoring so much that her coaches were confident that she would break the team’s single season scoring record.  Sure, Kelley had been giving her a hard time about being “a total nerd” when Christen would decline invitations for drinks with her and Alex and pre-games at The Gaggle. She was still able to hang out with her teammates off the field at mandatory team dinners and bonding events. Everything seemed like it was falling into place, except for one minor inconvenience...Christen could not stop thinking about Tobin.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They had barely seen each other since the day after the pre-season party, and the moments they </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>seen each other were very brief and very cordial. In fact, in the few opportunities that Christen had run into Tobin, the rower seemed even more focused on the next task than Christen was, exchanging quick “heys” and “catch you laters”. Christen had been sleeping with Tobin’s UNC Rowing shirt every night since the day she wore it home, and even though it had </span>
  <em>
    <span>long </span>
  </em>
  <span>lost it’s “Tobin scent”, it reminded the green-eyed girl that Tobin was real.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In truth, Christen was having an incredibly hard time not texting the Olympian. She even considered just showing up at The Gaggle and sitting in her room until the girl showed up. Christen couldn’t discern whether she was so successful at school and soccer </span>
  <em>
    <span>because </span>
  </em>
  <span>she had pushed Tobin away, or if she had been overcompensating on everything else to keep busy so she had less time to think about Tobin. Either way, one thing was overwhelmingly clear to Christen...she missed Tobin. They may have only really spent one night together, but it was a night that Christen could replay a million times in her head, and it would still make her smile. Everything about Tobin just felt right. At this point, Christen would take just sitting in a quiet room together and studying, not saying a single word but just being in the rower’s calming presence. As much as Christen longed for that, she never gave in. The fear of falling dangerously for Tobin like she did for Vero always pulls her back and anchors her back to reality. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Christen walks into the field house 30 minutes before their team’s scheduled weight session. This was always a part of her routine. It gave her plenty of time to warm up and stretch before their team’s trainer laid into them. Usually, about half the team would be there already, chatting and catching up while in the midst of varying stages of warm up. The gymnastics team might even be finishing up their conditioning sessions. The last thing that Christen had expected to see was a full-scale TV production crew, complete with videographers and boom mic operators. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wait, did I forget about another media day? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Christen was sure that she could not get any more confused, until she got a glimpse of the center of all the attention. Standing in front of the camera was none other than Julie Foudy, and she was walking around the track while talking to Tobin. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tobin?! </span>
  </em>
  <span>They were on the other side of the field house, away from the door and weight racks, but Christen stopped dead in her tracks.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Julie Foudy was a Stanford and USWNT legend turned ESPN commentator and podcaster. Christen had met her once at a Stanford soccer event her Freshman year, and she had been so nervous that she stumbled through the one question she mustered up the courage to ask. Christen settled for listening to Julie’s podcast where she interviews influential women athletes. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This was clearly not a podcast, but a full fledged production of some sort...and Tobin looked perfect. She was wearing a dri-fit Carolina Nike polo, tucked into tailored navy chino pants, and Carolina blue Air Jordan’s. Her hair was down and effortlessly flawless. She seemed so relaxed and natural, like she had done this a million times. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Of course she’s done this a million times, she’s an Olympic gold medalist,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Christen thought to herself. Julie says something to Tobin that makes her throw her head back in genuine laughter, and as she does, she catches Christen’s eye. Tobin’s demeanor immediately changes, and she stumbles a little over her own feet. Julie reaches out and catches her forearm, stabilizing her before she falls to the ground. Julie starts laughing as someone yells “CUT”, and she goes over to talk to the producer about where to pick up the conversation. As Tobin gains her composure, she glances back over at Christen, who is still staring at her with a mixed expression of awe and panic. Tobin softens her gaze, and sends a small wave in Christen’s direction, punctuating it with her signature wink. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Christen, who has been standing in one place and staring for a solid 3 minutes, is finally pulled out of her trance and sends a shy wave back, then immediately turns and fast walks to the locker room. As soon as she makes it across the threshold, she is met with an especially hyper Kelley.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my God, Chris! Did you see Tobin? With Julie Foudy?! How fucking cool is that?” Kelley was all but screaming, and she had a bit of a manic look in her eyes. Apparently, Ashlyn had been talking her out of interrupting Tobin’s interview to ask for Julie Foudy’s autograph for the last 10 minutes. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“In all seriousness, it's so awesome she is getting the recognition she deserves. She’s a fucking beast, and the world should know it,” Pinoe chimes in. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Half of The Gaggle are talking about how “my roommate has a fucking E60 documentary” and how “Tobin deserves it”, but all Christen can think about is how fucking good Tobin looked. How her shirt perfectly hugged her arms, and how her pants were tailored to Tobins strong thighs and ass. Seeing Tobin in that moment was the final straw for Christen’s sanity. There was no way she could stay away from the rower any longer. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck it,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Christen thought as she started getting changed for weight lifting. She spends the entire session coming up with her next move.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>---------- </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tobin trudges up the stairs to her room and starfishes onto the bed, utterly fucking exhausted. She had been filming the E60 piece with ESPN all day, and they were scheduled to go at it again the next day. She had never been a huge fan of attention, and when her agent came to her asking if she wanted to be the topic of an E60 piece, she immediately said no. Too bad for Tobin, her agent had already booked the shoot. She explained how important it would be to bring light to the rigor of the sport, and it would look great for Tobin’s inevitable next Olympic run. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The past few weeks had been hell. Even though the rowing team was not in heavy competition season, they were training like crazy to prepare for the Spring season, which is when their NCAA regattas would begin. Tobin was burning so many calories, that she needed to eat at least 3000 calories to keep up her muscle mass. Tobin </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved </span>
  </em>
  <span>food and was in desperate need of a good burger, but she could barely get herself out of bed to even take a much needed shower. Just as she was about to give in and tuck herself into her sheets with all of her clothes still on, her phone vibrates in her pocket. Tobin groans as she snatches the phone out of her back pocket, fully expecting it to be her agent reminding her for the 1000th time to make sure the camera is catching her angles. She haphazardly swipes open her phone to read the message.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Chris (6:30 pm): </b>
  <span>Hey superstar :)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tobin stares at her phone in total shock. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Holy shit, are my eyes playing tricks on me? I should really get them checked again. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She presses the home button and then the power button, then swipes her phone open and opens her messages again. There sat Christen’s text. It was real. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Tobin didn’t know what to do, much less what to say. Why was Christen texting her? They had barely exchanged more than 9 words to each other since the night of the party. But Tobin would be lying if she said that her dreams at night weren’t bathed in a very specific shade of greenish-grey. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Tobin (6:36pm): </b>
  <span>You’re one to talk. I hear you have been killing it on the field.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Chris (6:38pm): </b>
  <span>You watch our games?!</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Tobin (6:40pm): </b>
  <span>Well, I do live with 5 of your teammates, and those bitches never stop talking, so I heard through the grapevine. Also, it is kind of hard to miss when your picture has been on the front page of The Daily Tar Heel for 2 weeks in a row.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Chris (6:45pm): </b>
  <span>Let’s be honest...Kelley never stops talking. And I hate those pictures. I always have a double chin :(</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Tobin (6:50pm): </b>
  <span>Never. You always look stunning.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Christen blushes, biting her lip to keep her face front breaking into a huge smile. She takes a deep breath as she goes in for the kill.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Chris (6:55pm): </b>
  <span>I know this is random, and please feel free to say no...but I was wondering if you wanted to grab dinner at Al’s. Training has been kicking my butt lately, and I could really go for a burger. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Tobin (6:57pm): </b>
  <span>You won’t believe this, but I was literally just fantasizing about a burger. I’ll meet you there in 30?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Chris (7:00pm): </b>
  <span>Can’t wait ;)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With a renewed energy of 100 suns, Tobin leaps out of bed and runs out the door in record time. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>----------</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tobin taps her foot nervously as she waits in front of Al’s. She’s 15 minutes early, having left as soon as Christen confirmed. She didn’t even change out of her outfit from earlier. She did have the forethought to untuck her shirt at least. Tobin would be lying if she said she wasn’t totally shocked that Christen had asked her to dinner. For a brief second, Tobin considered turning Christen down. Even though the green-eyed girl had been haunting her for weeks, she kept repeating her mantra over and over again. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe this is better, for both of us.</span>
  </em>
  <span> She was also stupid busy with school, trainings, and fufilling her US Rowing obligations. She should have said no. Not because she didn’t like Christen, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>because </span>
  </em>
  <span>she did. She liked Christen a lot, maybe even a little too much. When Christen joked earlier about Tobin watching her games, the rower didn’t have the heart to tell her that she </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>been watching her games. Every single one. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi there,” a soft voice says behind her. Tobin’s stomach flips at the familiar voice that has occupied a permanent spot in her daydreams for the past few weeks. She turns around and sees Christen, looking so soft and sweet in her soccer shorts and team issued pullover, her natural hair perfectly framing her face.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey stranger,” Tobin responds breathlessly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tobin opens her arms wide and Christen slips into her space without hesitation, wrapping her arms around her waist and laying her head against Tobin’s chest. Christen slowly breathes Tobin in, and she can’t help but let out a content sign. Hugging Tobin again felt like slipping into a warm bath after a long day. Christen wanted to cry at the familiar scent of cedar and geranium with a hint of orange. It was woody and complicated, but incredibly pleasant. It was the perfect scent for Tobin, and Christen could not imagine how she could smell any better. Tobin closes her eyes and savors the moment of just having the opportunity to be close to Christen again. It was an incredibly intimate and emotionally charged hug for two people who were basically strangers standing on a busy sidewalk in front of a burger shack, but for both of them, it felt like coming home.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry, I’m late,” Christen murmurs into Tobin’s chest. She can feel the rowers shoulders shake with a light chuckle.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re not late, I’m just early. I got here 15 minutes after you texted me. Guess I was a little eager,” Tobin admits. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Christen pulls back and looks up at Tobin with a shy smile.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I was eager to get here too. So eager that I forgot to put on real clothes,” Christen says, looking down at her outfit with a little embarrassment.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You look perfect, Chris. You always do,” Tobin says sincerely. “I’m starving. I’ll order for both of us if you want to find a table,” Tobin says while stepping out of the hug.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Christen gives Tobin her order and hands her some cash for her meal. Tobin pockets the money with a smirk, fully intending on paying for the entire order with her debit card and sneaking the cash back into Christen’s pocket later.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They look at each other with one last soft, but intense gaze before Christen turns on her heel and goes off to find a table. Tobin watches her until she’s out of sight. She takes a much needed deep breath, and takes her place in line. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>----------</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They pick up right where they left off. The conversation is effortless for both of them, and even better now that they are both completely sober. Christen mindlessly nibbles at her fries, all of her attention and brain power are focused on all things Tobin. She pays extra attention to her deep, mellow voice that never falters, but is also far from monotone, and the way her eyes crinkle a little at the edges when she really finds something funny. Christen cannot be bothered to even consider her hesitation and fear regarding the Olympian. The feeling of being in her presence far exceeds the fear of a broken heart.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The conversation starts to wind down just as they realize that they are the only two people left on the previously packed patio. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wow, time flies when you’re falling down a rabbit hole towards a total stranger who will probably ruin you for anyone else, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Christen thinks.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, I have a proposition for you,” Tobin says softly with a slightly mysterious hint to her voice. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Um, okay...what is it?” Christen responds hesitantly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So I know you have an early home game next Saturday, but after, I was wondering if you wanted to go on an overnight camping adventure with me at Jordan Lake. I’ll make sure you are extremely comfortable and you wouldn’t need to bring anything. I even have a second tent with an overhead light and miniature ceiling fan, if you want your own space,” Tobin asks desperately. She really wants Christen to say “yes”. Based on a conversation they had the night of the party about how Christen’s least favorite thing about North Carolina were the “mutant fucking bugs”, Tobin is pretty sure that camping is the last thing the girl would want to do; however, the small campsite at Jordan Lake that Tobin had inhabited for weeks over the summer had become a second home for her, and with midterms almost over, Tobin wanted nothing more than to share her favorite place with the girl who was quickly becoming one of her favorite people.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Christen’s eyes go wide and her mind starts churning a mile a minute. Camping was not her thing. She actually fucking hated it. But spending a night in a quiet, secluded piece of nature with Tobin sounded heavenly. Christen has the right mind to think for 2 seconds about how dangerous it might be to go out into the woods with a person she barely knew, but for whatever reason, she trusted Tobin. She trusted that Tobin would do everything she could to make Christen comfortable, and she trusted that Tobin would keep her safe.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Christen reaches across the table and gently grabs the rowers hand, forcing Tobin to look her in the eye. “You know I hate bugs more than anything in the world, but I would love to go. And I think one tent should be just fine...but definitely the tent with the ceiling fan. That sounds more my style,” Christen responds honestly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Awesome, I’ll pick you up from the field house right after the game and we can leave straight for the campsite,” Tobin says enthusiastically.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They sit and talk for another 10 minutes, before an employee comes out and tells them that they are closing for the night. Tobin walks Christen to her car, after protest from Christen that she would be fine on her own. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It was great to see you Chris. I missed you,” Tobin admits softly, a slight blush rising to her cheeks.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The confession makes Christen blush as well. It was obvious from their flirting and non-stop conversation that they both missed each other, but it was a different thing to hear out loud. Before she can catch herself, Christen raises her arms up around Tobin’s neck and leans up, giving Tobin a soft kiss on her cheek.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I missed you too,” Christen whispers right into Tobin’s ear. Tobin sucks in a barely audible breath of air as Christen untangles herself from Tobin, and turns to get into her car. She pulls out of her parking spot and sends Tobin a cute little wave before driving off into the night, leaving Tobin standing dumbly in the parking lot, fantasizing about those soft lips on hers.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
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